Coco Gauff looks to be back to her very best at the 2026 Italian Open.
Gauff booked her place in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament by beating Sorana Cirstea in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
The American has enjoyed an impressive string of results in Rome so far, with triumphs over both Iva Jovic and Mirra Andreeva.
Where will Coco Gauff be ranked at the end of the 2026 season?
She is now just one win away from her first title of the season, and her first since the 2025 Wuhan Open.
Gauff appears to have ironed out her serving issues in Rome, having recorded just six double faults in her last three matches.
Coco Gauff discusses her serving improvements in Rome
Asked what she is doing technically to improve her serve in her post-match press conference, Gauff replied: “I mean, I think I’m tossing a bit more consistently.
“My weight I feel is a little bit better. Also, just the trust, the confidence in it is a lot better.
“I think because my confidence in it is better, then I’m actually consistently I guess tossing the ball in the right spot, having my technique be the same on each serve regardless where my target is. I think that’s the biggest difference.
How would you now rate Aryna Sabalenka’s chances of winning the French Open on a scale of 1-10?
“I think it’s a real improvement. I think it’s like the first time in my career I feel like I’m really stable with that shot (second serve).
“Yeah, it’s been an up-and-down process. I obviously don’t want to jinx anything, but I think we found the recipe to making it more consistent.
“Now it’s focusing on how to make it more of a weapon, how to serve smarter, things like that, yeah.”
Coco Gauff says she is confident ahead of Roland Garros
Gauff’s run to the final in Rome comes just before her title defence at Roland Garros, which she won for the first time last year.
She said of her campaign at the Italian Open: “It definitely gives me a lot of confidence because I also played some players who are having great clay court seasons and great seasons in general.
“Yeah, I thought in Madrid I also felt like I was playing some good tennis, too. Just a little bit had to learn from having the lead in that match against Noskova.
“Overall, I feel like my game is getting better. There’s moments that I still can fine-tune and do better at. I definitely think it’s in the right direction.”
Gauff won the French Open last season by beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
It was her second major title, clinched two years after her maiden Grand Slam triumph at the 2023 US Open.
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